The NBA regular season has finally and mercifully come to a close. There have been many surprises this year like Linsanity, the Spurs once again being the 1 seed out West, and Dwight Howard evidently having no soul. Now we stand just one little day away from the Playoffs, so like all people not good enough to actually be in the NBA we must declare winners for the regular season awards.
Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers - Good for the Cavs, man. You can’t match losing a once-in-a-generation talent like LeBron James, but Irving will be a pretty good player and most likely will be an All Star. If the Cavs can put a good team around him he will be able to make them a playoff team for sure and the assist numbers will go up. Though he’s missed time this year he has proven to be a leader on the floor and if he can stay healthy he will be the guy in Cleveland for a few years until he hosts a television special and leaves. If Ricky Rubio had stayed healthy and gotten the Timberwolves into the playoffs I would say he gets this award, but alas the Basketball Gods can be cruel sometimes and robbed us of that reality. Irving has had a great rookie year but it will be interesting to see if his health woes from college and now the pros stick with him.
Most Improved Player: Nikola Pekovic, Center, Minnesota Timberwolves - While my brother is may have won our NBA fantasy championship, I deserve a trophy for making this pick up during the season. In only 26 minute per, he put up 14 and 7. He has had absolutely beast games during the year but has also battled injuries. Either way, this was a guy who started the season behind Darko Milicic in the rotation and now starts. They thought freaking Darko was better than him, man. Ryan Anderson is also worthy of this award, but I take Pekovic since it is much more unexpected that he has had such a good year. I’m also partial to centers who can get it done down low rather than big men who have to camp out and shoot threes to get his points so I am more impressed with Pekovic.
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyson Chandler, Center, New York Knicks - I guess somebody should throw him a bone for being the only guy on that team who plays defense. Amar’e Stoudemire has never been a particularly good defender, and despite his newfound dedication to defense Carmelo Anthony has never exactly been known for anything other than being able to score. Chandler holds it down on defense for New York and when he misses games it instantly becomes a worry as to how anybody will be able to stop the opposing team from putting points on the board. People compare what Chandler has done in NY this year to what Kevin Garnett did in Boston in 08 by transforming the culture of the team and making them focus on defense. I don’t agree with that completely since Garnett completely changed his style of play and was responsible for the creation of an elite team while Chandler is doing what he always does and has guided the Knicks to stay a few games over .500. I don’t mean to take away from what he does though. All of a sudden the Knicks aren’t this soft, candyass team down low. You have to be wary about going into the paint and you have to actually fight for rebounds since Chandler can boss people and has also inspired the other guys on the Knicks to hustle more. Chandler doesn’t get a ton of blocks or anything like he’s Dwight Howard, but the mere fact he is in the paint is enough to throw shots off course. He was the big reason Dallas could play defense and win last year, and now he’s inspired the Knicks to fight on the defensive end for the first time in years.
Sixth Man of the Year: James Harden, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder - Here is a guy who people have been talking about a lot lately as somebody who could go start on any other team and be an absolute animal. He scores so efficiently and is the ultimate spark a great team needs off their bench. He is having a career year and has proven to be every bit as important to the team as Durant and Westbrook. Look at the Thunder’s recent loss to the Lakers. After Harden nearly died from Ron Artest’s brutal elbow the Thunder didn’t have that same spark to help with the scoring and defense and they ended up losing in double OT. Without Harden the Thunder are not even close to being the same team. He used to be furious about this role but he has since grown to appreciate it and is now thriving. Harden dropped a career-high 40 points on Phoenix the other night and was staring at a big role in the playoffs until Artest murdered him.
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls - Gregg Popovich is also deserving but really nobody has had to overcome as much as Thibs. Last year Chicago won 62 games despite significant injuries to Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, their starting front court. This year the Bulls are once again the 1 seed in the East and were one of two teams (Popovich’s Spurs being the other) to finish with 50 wins despite even more injures. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose has missed significant time, Rip Hamilton has barely played, Luol Deng hasn’t been as effective as usual since he clearly needs surgery on his wrist, and CJ Watson has been nursing a few injuries and missed time. So that’s three injured starters and one of the most important reserves. In spite of this the Bulls have been able to scrap and fight their way to victory time and time again. This shortened season has been absolutely brutal and has taken its toll on a lot of teams, and there have been so many times when it looked like the Bulls were done and the injuries would be too much to overcome but somehow they keep winning. Sure Carlos Boozer has actually played well this year and all, but the main reason behind all of this is the fact Tom Thibodeau’s defense-first mindset has taken hold on the roster and keeps them in games always. Nobody else has had to deal with ⅗ of their starting line up being out or depleted, and not everybody could face that and still have a winning team that could win a championship.
Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder - I was thinking LeBron for a while, even when I first started writing this thing, but really I can’t go with LBJ since it just doesn’t seem right. I will explain that in a little bit. This year you could make the case for Durant, Kobe, LeBron, or even Chris Paul since it is all pretty wide open, and really there isn’t much to say when making the case for anybody since I feel this year hasn’t seen any particular standouts aside from LeBron filling up a stat line in historic fashion. Durant has had yet another stellar season and is still the guy in OKC. It has now become apparent that he can co-exist with Russell Westbrook and together they can form a devastating one-two punch. Westbrook has taken on more of a scoring load and is starting to share the spotlight more this year, but it is still Durant’s team through and through and he is the leader. Durant has no fear taking over in the fourth quarter and has inspired that team for years. He is shooting a career-best 49.5% from the field, he is having a career year in rebounding and assists, and his scoring is back up as well and he’s this year’s scoring champion. He has still been a killer this year, starting off the season right with that sick game winner over Dallas. It seemed like he took a step backwards last year after everybody thought he was poised to be a destroyer, but he is right back on track. Of course Durant won’t win and LeBron will since everybody gushes over the numbers only, but it is the little things that count and though some late-season struggles have hit OKC, this team has been poised to bust loose for a couple years now and it seems very likely that this is the time. We haven’t had to spend countless hours thinking about Durant’s drive or his focus or if he’s ready to finally make a statement, Durant just goes out and proves time and time again that he’s a great player and a great teammate. Durant inspires his team to win and they all believe in him, but with LeBron it comes across as the Heat all say they believe in him so he’ll man up and play better in the playoffs. This isn’t high school and I don’t like having to baby somebody to give him confidence regardless of how amazing his skill set may be.
LeBron is going to win this award but I still took the time to put together a case against him as only three people have multiple MVP awards with no title: James, Karl Malone, and Steve Nash. They all have two, and I can’t get behind LBJ with a third right now. Who can forget that even in the All Star game where nothing really matters, LBJ was afraid to take over in the clutch and ignored an open Melo to throw that ridiculous cross-court pass to Dwyane Wade that got stolen and cost the East the game, then looked like he wanted to cry since Kobe asked him what's wrong with him? Sure LBJ has more confidence this year, but he still openly shirks responsibility late in games to Dwyane Wade. I can’t get behind him as King no matter how much he says he’s changed. I am not cool with saying LeBron deserves to be a three-time MVP yet since I still am not certain he is the most valuable guy on that team. Sam Smith said it, a ton of people say it, and you can just tell by watching a Heat game that in the first half you have to beware of LeBron, but in the second half that is when you worry about Wade since that’s when he goes to work. I am not ready to crown LeBron for adding that ugly post-game and cutting out the three-pointer from his game since these are things he should have done back in Cleveland. It isn’t just about statistics to me, it is about the intangibles and it seems like Wade is the guy who is still counted on to drag this team out of danger when the game is on the line. LeBron fills up his stat sheet and is an amazing player, but he isn’t the player of most value since Wade has to do the dirty work at the biggest moments. Obviously LeBron is the greatest athlete to ever set foot on a basketball court, and his two MVP awards are a credit to that skill, but I don’t think he’s the one this year. I don’t think he’s totally undeserving at all, but I won’t agree with it when he does win in a few weeks.
So that’s that. Playoffs start Saturday and since this crazy lockout schedule has left so many teams nursing injuries, people seem to think there will be a lot of upsets. I’m not sure, and I probably won’t bother writing predictions, but each series will be pretty competitive and intense so I’m looking forward to it.
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012
Friday, April 15, 2011
Joe's NBA End of the Season Award Picks
Like my brother, I too have compiled my list of NBA end of season awards. But my picks are considerably better than his since mine don’t involve any Portland Trailblazers winning. Of course my awards will be picked apart as being too biased, but I feel they’re pretty fair since I do pick apart what’s actually happened in the season to support my opinions. My brother was spot on with saying Elton Brand is Comeback Player of the Year, and since that isn’t a real award but he wrote about it anyways I had to put down two not real awards and write about it. Here we go.
Least Improved Player: Kevin Durant, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder – Last year people saw Durant as one of two top MVP candidates. Over the summer people thought Durant was going to take LeBron’s MVP title away and become the best in the world. Then his point per game average dropped from 30 to 27, his field goal and three point percentage went down, his free throw percentage went down, and his rebounds went down. I’m not impressed by his performance. Russell Westbrook has seemingly been in the driver’s seat all season for OKC. Durant is still looked at as the top guy on the team, but he certainly hasn’t played like it all year. The MVP was supposed to be Durant’s crown this year, but instead he failed to live up to expectations.
Least Valuable Player: Vince Carter, Guard-Forward, Phoenix Suns – As long as Vince plays, he will win this award every year. He's been laying stink bombs in Orlando for a while, so they shipped him to the Suns. Since being traded to Phoenix his field goal percentage dropped five percent, and he’s sucked and been very Vince like. He missed numerous unnecessary threes in an important late season game against the Lakers and it cost the Suns, finally putting them out of playoff contention. I hate Vince Carter and I don’t think it is a coincidence that he is on the Suns and they failed to reach the playoffs.
Most Improved Player: Derrick Rose, Guard, Chicago Bulls – You can say this is my bias, but I can tell you you’re wrong. It is true. Nobody in the league improved over the course of the summer as much as Derrick Rose. Kevin Love will win this award but he is undeserving. Love is a stat chaser on a shitty team. His improvement into a double double machine has given his team two more wins than last year…meaning the Timberwolves have only won 17 games. Then we have Derrick Rose. Couldn’t get to the line or shoot free throws that well in his first two years, suddenly he’s shooting 86% and getting to the line at will. He was a miserable three point shooter in his first two years, hitting only 24.5% of his attempts which amounted to 32 made threes. Suddenly this year he’s a 33% shooter from deep and hit 128. People said he couldn’t shoot jumpers, all of a sudden he’s got a mid range game. People said he wasn’t clutch, all of a sudden he’s hitting big shot after big shot for the Bulls. He had more blocks this year than his previous two seasons combined. His three point percentage, free throw percentage, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks all increased. His team went from the 8 seed to the top record in the NBA. Yes they have a new coach in Tom Thibodeau and Luol Deng has come to life, but Rose’s improved play and leadership is what has elevated the team more than anything.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Forward, Phoenix Suns – Dwight Howard will win since he blocks a lot of shots, but that’s a bunch of crap. All Howard does is block shots. Meanwhile Hill is 38 and plays on a Suns team handicapped by having Vince Carter as well as nobody else who can play defense and is called upon to guard the best player on every opposing team. No matter how young, no matter what position they play, it is Hill's job to stop them and he's played excellent all season. Hill’s stats aren’t great, but basketball isn’t just about the numbers. He has to anchor his entire team’s defense and is relied on to give them hope on an entire side of the court. Howard’s defense consists of big blocks rather than actual manning up and playing defense. I’m not impressed by what he does. Grant Hill however is another story.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Forward, Los Angeles Clippers – Oh come on this isn’t even worth explaining. He’s been historic, from his numbers to his dunks. He had this award sealed by the time he lit the Knicks up in the season's first month.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Forward-Center, Boston Celtics – My brother was spot on with everything he said about this award. Lamar Odom will likely win, but how are you a sixth man when you’ve started most of the season? Jason Terry is another candidate, but I’d like to see him do something more than score. Big Baby Davis is one of the most important pieces of the Celtics team. He is their back up power forward and center, meaning at 6’9” he’s up against guys much taller than him down low and he still outhustles them. He leads the NBA in charges taken as well. He’s a workhorse. Without Baby the Celtics would be cooked. He is relied on to make all the energy plays for the team and his hustle is what often seems to keep the C’s in games.
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls – This was a three way tie between Thibs, Doug Collins in Philadelphia, and George Karl in Denver. At the end of the day I had to go with Thibs not because he coaches my favorite team, but because he took a team that won 41 games the year before and turned them into the best team in the league behind 62 wins. He helped rebuild the roster over the summer in order to craft a savvy defensive squad. Then shit got rough when Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, his two post forces, both missed larges amounts of the season. Thibs still got the Bulls to play through it, turning Luol Deng from a player Bulls fans would love when he played well and absolutely hate when he played poorly into one of the most important players on a championship contender. Hell, Thibs made the Bulls into a contender. Everybody on the team has bought into his defense first philosophy, and the Bulls have been a juggernaut because of it. Karl has done so much with a Nuggets team people thought would do so little, and Collins has made the 76ers a team worth caring about, but at the end of the day no coach has completely transformed the culture of their team and made them play better than anybody could have imagined like Tom Thibodeau in Chicago.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Guard, Chicago Bulls – If there was one award here that really should need no explanation, it would be this. But of course there are idiots out there who don’t agree with this choice and I’m so proud to say I’ve been a fan of Rose since the day the Bulls drafted him so I have to explain it. If you have followed the NBA at all this season and don’t think Poohdini is the MVP of the league then you are either high, a Miami Heat front runner who refuses to believe anybody not named LeBron is good, or a stat geek. People point to advanced statistics to try to say Rose isn’t MVP. I don’t give a fuck if his efficiency rating isn’t as high as LeBron’s or Dwight Howard’s, they don’t have to do anywhere near as much as Rose. Rose has to create everything for everybody everywhere. For me the Most Valuable Player award is about more than just numbers. There are certain criteria people need to live up to in order to qualify as el jugador más valioso, and Derrick Rose lives up to them:
1. He inspires and motivates his teammates through hard work and leadership. This is the most important piece to being the MVP. Rose is at the gym first, leaves last, and has busted his ass from the summer on because he wanted his team to go to new highs. His teammates absolutely love him and his undying and intense work ethic. Rose has shown a Michael Jordan-esque will to succeed since July of last year. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh joined up in Miami and Rose went out of his mind improving every aspect of his game to lift his team, and his teammates love it. Every time Rose is on the court his team believes they can win. No deficit is too large, no situation is too dire, and no team is too good for the Bulls to rise up and succeed. That mindset comes from the example Rose sets as a leader. Rose makes the Bulls, the city of Chicago, and every Bulls fan believe that no challenge is too great to be met.
2. His stats have improved. That isn’t always necessarily the most important since stats don’t tell the whole story, but as his game has gotten much better the Bulls have also gotten much better. Rose has made the case for Most Improved, and that level of improvement has propelled the Bulls to championship contenders. I’d say that makes him pretty valuable.
3. Rose leaves opposing fans and players, and even his teammates in awe. Look at the show he put on against the Knicks in the Garden the other night. Every dunk made even the Knicks fans pop. The Bulls play in other cities and fans will chant MVP for Rose. Players and coaches on other teams have been talking about what an animal Rose has been and how phenomenal his game is. His own teammates are consistently blown away. There’ve been at least 20 games where afterwards Carlos Boozer is freaking out about something Rose did. LeBron, Bosh, Juwan Howard, Doc Rivers, Kevin Durant, and countless other players and coaches have declared Rose to be the MVP this season. To stun your peers and get fans of other teams to freak out when you bust a move on their team is pretty special.
4. In the big games and big moments, you can count on him. When the game is on the line, you can put the ball in his hands. I was reading an article a week or two ago about how Rose’s shooting numbers in the last five minutes of the 4th quarter aren’t that impressive, but if you lower the time down to the last three minutes of the 4th then Rose is a beast. When the game is in the clutch moments, Derrick Rose has proven to be the most clutch player this year. He’s made big shot after big shot after big shot all season. The Lakers found out. So did Houston. Rose single handedly willed the Bulls into overtime against the Pacers with a massive 4th quarter surge. He’s put the team on his back and carrued them to victory in the big moments so many times. LeBron missed four straight game tying or winning shots in a row at one point in the season, but Rose has buried teams consistently. Rose has stepped his game up against Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, and dropped a career high 42 points on the then-league best San Antonio Spurs. In the games and moments you need him to play big in, he plays huge. That’s pretty valuable to me.
So with all that taken into consideration, how am I supposed to pick LeBron James because he has a better player efficiency rating? Or Dwight Howard, who gets suspended for getting too many technicals and costs his team? There’s only one MVP this season, and that is undoubtedly Derrick Rose.
That’s that. I probably won’t do playoff predictions since I don’t want to jinx teams I like, but I’ll write something on the playoffs at some point. Keep fighting.
Least Improved Player: Kevin Durant, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder – Last year people saw Durant as one of two top MVP candidates. Over the summer people thought Durant was going to take LeBron’s MVP title away and become the best in the world. Then his point per game average dropped from 30 to 27, his field goal and three point percentage went down, his free throw percentage went down, and his rebounds went down. I’m not impressed by his performance. Russell Westbrook has seemingly been in the driver’s seat all season for OKC. Durant is still looked at as the top guy on the team, but he certainly hasn’t played like it all year. The MVP was supposed to be Durant’s crown this year, but instead he failed to live up to expectations.
Least Valuable Player: Vince Carter, Guard-Forward, Phoenix Suns – As long as Vince plays, he will win this award every year. He's been laying stink bombs in Orlando for a while, so they shipped him to the Suns. Since being traded to Phoenix his field goal percentage dropped five percent, and he’s sucked and been very Vince like. He missed numerous unnecessary threes in an important late season game against the Lakers and it cost the Suns, finally putting them out of playoff contention. I hate Vince Carter and I don’t think it is a coincidence that he is on the Suns and they failed to reach the playoffs.
Most Improved Player: Derrick Rose, Guard, Chicago Bulls – You can say this is my bias, but I can tell you you’re wrong. It is true. Nobody in the league improved over the course of the summer as much as Derrick Rose. Kevin Love will win this award but he is undeserving. Love is a stat chaser on a shitty team. His improvement into a double double machine has given his team two more wins than last year…meaning the Timberwolves have only won 17 games. Then we have Derrick Rose. Couldn’t get to the line or shoot free throws that well in his first two years, suddenly he’s shooting 86% and getting to the line at will. He was a miserable three point shooter in his first two years, hitting only 24.5% of his attempts which amounted to 32 made threes. Suddenly this year he’s a 33% shooter from deep and hit 128. People said he couldn’t shoot jumpers, all of a sudden he’s got a mid range game. People said he wasn’t clutch, all of a sudden he’s hitting big shot after big shot for the Bulls. He had more blocks this year than his previous two seasons combined. His three point percentage, free throw percentage, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks all increased. His team went from the 8 seed to the top record in the NBA. Yes they have a new coach in Tom Thibodeau and Luol Deng has come to life, but Rose’s improved play and leadership is what has elevated the team more than anything.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Forward, Phoenix Suns – Dwight Howard will win since he blocks a lot of shots, but that’s a bunch of crap. All Howard does is block shots. Meanwhile Hill is 38 and plays on a Suns team handicapped by having Vince Carter as well as nobody else who can play defense and is called upon to guard the best player on every opposing team. No matter how young, no matter what position they play, it is Hill's job to stop them and he's played excellent all season. Hill’s stats aren’t great, but basketball isn’t just about the numbers. He has to anchor his entire team’s defense and is relied on to give them hope on an entire side of the court. Howard’s defense consists of big blocks rather than actual manning up and playing defense. I’m not impressed by what he does. Grant Hill however is another story.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Forward, Los Angeles Clippers – Oh come on this isn’t even worth explaining. He’s been historic, from his numbers to his dunks. He had this award sealed by the time he lit the Knicks up in the season's first month.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Forward-Center, Boston Celtics – My brother was spot on with everything he said about this award. Lamar Odom will likely win, but how are you a sixth man when you’ve started most of the season? Jason Terry is another candidate, but I’d like to see him do something more than score. Big Baby Davis is one of the most important pieces of the Celtics team. He is their back up power forward and center, meaning at 6’9” he’s up against guys much taller than him down low and he still outhustles them. He leads the NBA in charges taken as well. He’s a workhorse. Without Baby the Celtics would be cooked. He is relied on to make all the energy plays for the team and his hustle is what often seems to keep the C’s in games.
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls – This was a three way tie between Thibs, Doug Collins in Philadelphia, and George Karl in Denver. At the end of the day I had to go with Thibs not because he coaches my favorite team, but because he took a team that won 41 games the year before and turned them into the best team in the league behind 62 wins. He helped rebuild the roster over the summer in order to craft a savvy defensive squad. Then shit got rough when Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, his two post forces, both missed larges amounts of the season. Thibs still got the Bulls to play through it, turning Luol Deng from a player Bulls fans would love when he played well and absolutely hate when he played poorly into one of the most important players on a championship contender. Hell, Thibs made the Bulls into a contender. Everybody on the team has bought into his defense first philosophy, and the Bulls have been a juggernaut because of it. Karl has done so much with a Nuggets team people thought would do so little, and Collins has made the 76ers a team worth caring about, but at the end of the day no coach has completely transformed the culture of their team and made them play better than anybody could have imagined like Tom Thibodeau in Chicago.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Guard, Chicago Bulls – If there was one award here that really should need no explanation, it would be this. But of course there are idiots out there who don’t agree with this choice and I’m so proud to say I’ve been a fan of Rose since the day the Bulls drafted him so I have to explain it. If you have followed the NBA at all this season and don’t think Poohdini is the MVP of the league then you are either high, a Miami Heat front runner who refuses to believe anybody not named LeBron is good, or a stat geek. People point to advanced statistics to try to say Rose isn’t MVP. I don’t give a fuck if his efficiency rating isn’t as high as LeBron’s or Dwight Howard’s, they don’t have to do anywhere near as much as Rose. Rose has to create everything for everybody everywhere. For me the Most Valuable Player award is about more than just numbers. There are certain criteria people need to live up to in order to qualify as el jugador más valioso, and Derrick Rose lives up to them:
1. He inspires and motivates his teammates through hard work and leadership. This is the most important piece to being the MVP. Rose is at the gym first, leaves last, and has busted his ass from the summer on because he wanted his team to go to new highs. His teammates absolutely love him and his undying and intense work ethic. Rose has shown a Michael Jordan-esque will to succeed since July of last year. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh joined up in Miami and Rose went out of his mind improving every aspect of his game to lift his team, and his teammates love it. Every time Rose is on the court his team believes they can win. No deficit is too large, no situation is too dire, and no team is too good for the Bulls to rise up and succeed. That mindset comes from the example Rose sets as a leader. Rose makes the Bulls, the city of Chicago, and every Bulls fan believe that no challenge is too great to be met.
2. His stats have improved. That isn’t always necessarily the most important since stats don’t tell the whole story, but as his game has gotten much better the Bulls have also gotten much better. Rose has made the case for Most Improved, and that level of improvement has propelled the Bulls to championship contenders. I’d say that makes him pretty valuable.
3. Rose leaves opposing fans and players, and even his teammates in awe. Look at the show he put on against the Knicks in the Garden the other night. Every dunk made even the Knicks fans pop. The Bulls play in other cities and fans will chant MVP for Rose. Players and coaches on other teams have been talking about what an animal Rose has been and how phenomenal his game is. His own teammates are consistently blown away. There’ve been at least 20 games where afterwards Carlos Boozer is freaking out about something Rose did. LeBron, Bosh, Juwan Howard, Doc Rivers, Kevin Durant, and countless other players and coaches have declared Rose to be the MVP this season. To stun your peers and get fans of other teams to freak out when you bust a move on their team is pretty special.
4. In the big games and big moments, you can count on him. When the game is on the line, you can put the ball in his hands. I was reading an article a week or two ago about how Rose’s shooting numbers in the last five minutes of the 4th quarter aren’t that impressive, but if you lower the time down to the last three minutes of the 4th then Rose is a beast. When the game is in the clutch moments, Derrick Rose has proven to be the most clutch player this year. He’s made big shot after big shot after big shot all season. The Lakers found out. So did Houston. Rose single handedly willed the Bulls into overtime against the Pacers with a massive 4th quarter surge. He’s put the team on his back and carrued them to victory in the big moments so many times. LeBron missed four straight game tying or winning shots in a row at one point in the season, but Rose has buried teams consistently. Rose has stepped his game up against Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, and dropped a career high 42 points on the then-league best San Antonio Spurs. In the games and moments you need him to play big in, he plays huge. That’s pretty valuable to me.
So with all that taken into consideration, how am I supposed to pick LeBron James because he has a better player efficiency rating? Or Dwight Howard, who gets suspended for getting too many technicals and costs his team? There’s only one MVP this season, and that is undoubtedly Derrick Rose.
That’s that. I probably won’t do playoff predictions since I don’t want to jinx teams I like, but I’ll write something on the playoffs at some point. Keep fighting.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
NBA Regular Season Awards, As Selected By Me
As of yesterday, the NBA regular season has officially come to a close. With that comes two things: the playoffs and the handing out of awards. I’m going to post a playoff preview with my picks for the first round sometime in the next 24 hours, so this post is going to be dedicated solely to the regular season awards. Let’s get right into it.
Comeback Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers - Just a few seasons ago, Brand was a 20-10 machine and one of the best power forwards in the NBA. Then, injuries and poor play the last couple of years made Brand an afterthought and highly overpaid. He seems to have bounced back from last year’s 13 and 6 to a solid 15 and 8 while helping to lead the upstart 76ers to a surprise seventh seed in the East. He is once again relevant as a player and deserves some kind of recognition for coming back from the dead and contributing to playoff basketball in Philly.
Most Improved Player: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers - Kevin Love is most likely going to win this award due to the fact he was a double double machine this season, but when you get down to it his improvement seems natural given the facts that A) He is only in his third season, so he should continue to improve, B) His production was in line per minute with his stats previously; he just received adequate minutes this year, and C) Plays for Minnesota and someone there has to score and rebound for them. Aldridge is in his fifth season and has shown a marked improvement in two areas in which he was lacking in his prior four seasons: rebounding and interior scoring. He averaged four points more than his career PPG and one more rebound per game. He also doubled his career average by getting 1.2 blocks per game. Plus, he played nearly every game and carried an injury depleted Trailblazers squad to a sixth seed in the Western Conference. He got snubbed for the All-Star Team and is going to miss out on an All-NBA Team appearance, so the least he could get is the MIP Trophy.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers - Was this one even in doubt? Blake has easily been the best first year player in the NBA this season, averaging a beastly 22.5 and 12.1 a game. Blake Superior has probably been one of the five best players at the power forward position all year and has made the Los Angeles Clippers something other than a joke for ESPN to report on. To boot, Blake has probably been one of the three most exciting players to watch this year. I can’t wait until he leaves the Clips in a few years and goes to a real team.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Boston Celtics - Odds are Jason Terry or Lamar Odom wins this award, but I think Davis deserves it more despite having less impressive stats. Odom started nearly half the games this season, making him ineligible in my book. Jason Terry has played well, but all he really does is score (mostly just in the fourth quarter since someone other than Dirk has to shoot it from time to time). Davis has had a career year and does all the little things that don’t show up in the stats. He relieves both Garnett and whatever the Celtics throw up at center, plays most of the fourth quarter, hits clutch shots, hustles harder than any man in the league, and led the NBA in charges taken. He does all this while being drastically outsized in the height department. If you take Odom and Terry off of their respective teams, both the Lakers and Mavericks still make the playoffs. I don’t know that the Celtics do without Davis.
Coach of the Year: George Karl, Denver Nuggets - I was torn on this one between three men: Doug Collins in Philadelphia, Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, and Karl. It was really a toss-up between those three, and even Popovich in San Antonio is a deserving candidate. If any of those four men won this honor, I wouldn’t be surprised or upset. In the end, I went with Karl. He kept the Nuggets in the playoff race while all the drama swirled around Carmelo Anthony, and he has them playing even better without ‘Melo. Since the All-Star break, Denver has had one of the best records in the NBA and has been one of the most fun teams to watch. They have the potential to give several of the teams in the West a good scare in the playoffs. All this after missing most of last year with cancer. That being said, I had a really hard time not going with Collins or Thibs. I didn’t think Collins had what it took to coach anymore, but he has a starless Philadelphia playing much better than anyone expected. If not for the Lou Williams injury, they could have played spoiler to Miami or Boston. And Thibs has remade Chicago into a defensive juggernaut and managed to get the Bulls to the best record in the NBA despite Boozer and Noah missing significant amounts of time. In the end, I went with Karl because of his success despite the aforementioned drama and cancer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns - Dwight Howard is going to win this easily for the third straight season and it isn’t entirely undeserved. He is the only player to defend on an Orlando squad that can’t play a lick of D. But, Howard is still interested in stats and highlight reel blocks more than winning defense. He doesn’t have to swat the ball into the twentieth row. He could just block it to one of his teammates and start a fast break. This play was essentially Bill Russell’s entire career. I instead chose to give my nod for this award to Grant Hill, who has been the best individual defender in the NBA this year even though that stats don’t show it. Hill is about 130 years old, but night in and night out has taken it upon himself to guard the opposing team’s best player without regards to size and age. He’s matched up against everyone from Derrick Rose to Blake Griffin and has performed admirably. And he does this on a Phoenix team that plays even less defense than the rest of Orlando. Hill has had a late career renaissance and this commitment to defense has been very impressive.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls - I touched on this the other day, but Rose is absolutely the MVP of this season. He has done everything he said he would, from improving his shooting range and committing to playing tougher defense. His advanced stats don’t make him look as impressive as LeBron or Howard, but Rose is the only guy on his team that can create his own shot. Of course LeBron would be more efficient; he plays next to two other All-Stars, making his life a lot easier. Howard is a center and if you’re his size, there is a problem if you are not efficient. Rose has been the best fourth quarter player this season and has pushed the Bulls to the best record in the NBA. He’s been a leader and kept the Bulls going, thriving even, while Boozer and Noah missed significant chunks of time. Rose has taken it upon himself time and again this season to make sure the Bulls don’t lose and constantly puts the pressure on himself to make them better every game. I don’t think you can honestly say that about LeBron or Howard. Plus, he averages 25 and 8 every night so its not like he isn’t putting up great numbers.
Stay tuned for playoff predictions in the near future.
Comeback Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers - Just a few seasons ago, Brand was a 20-10 machine and one of the best power forwards in the NBA. Then, injuries and poor play the last couple of years made Brand an afterthought and highly overpaid. He seems to have bounced back from last year’s 13 and 6 to a solid 15 and 8 while helping to lead the upstart 76ers to a surprise seventh seed in the East. He is once again relevant as a player and deserves some kind of recognition for coming back from the dead and contributing to playoff basketball in Philly.
Most Improved Player: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers - Kevin Love is most likely going to win this award due to the fact he was a double double machine this season, but when you get down to it his improvement seems natural given the facts that A) He is only in his third season, so he should continue to improve, B) His production was in line per minute with his stats previously; he just received adequate minutes this year, and C) Plays for Minnesota and someone there has to score and rebound for them. Aldridge is in his fifth season and has shown a marked improvement in two areas in which he was lacking in his prior four seasons: rebounding and interior scoring. He averaged four points more than his career PPG and one more rebound per game. He also doubled his career average by getting 1.2 blocks per game. Plus, he played nearly every game and carried an injury depleted Trailblazers squad to a sixth seed in the Western Conference. He got snubbed for the All-Star Team and is going to miss out on an All-NBA Team appearance, so the least he could get is the MIP Trophy.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers - Was this one even in doubt? Blake has easily been the best first year player in the NBA this season, averaging a beastly 22.5 and 12.1 a game. Blake Superior has probably been one of the five best players at the power forward position all year and has made the Los Angeles Clippers something other than a joke for ESPN to report on. To boot, Blake has probably been one of the three most exciting players to watch this year. I can’t wait until he leaves the Clips in a few years and goes to a real team.
Sixth Man of the Year: Glen Davis, Boston Celtics - Odds are Jason Terry or Lamar Odom wins this award, but I think Davis deserves it more despite having less impressive stats. Odom started nearly half the games this season, making him ineligible in my book. Jason Terry has played well, but all he really does is score (mostly just in the fourth quarter since someone other than Dirk has to shoot it from time to time). Davis has had a career year and does all the little things that don’t show up in the stats. He relieves both Garnett and whatever the Celtics throw up at center, plays most of the fourth quarter, hits clutch shots, hustles harder than any man in the league, and led the NBA in charges taken. He does all this while being drastically outsized in the height department. If you take Odom and Terry off of their respective teams, both the Lakers and Mavericks still make the playoffs. I don’t know that the Celtics do without Davis.
Coach of the Year: George Karl, Denver Nuggets - I was torn on this one between three men: Doug Collins in Philadelphia, Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, and Karl. It was really a toss-up between those three, and even Popovich in San Antonio is a deserving candidate. If any of those four men won this honor, I wouldn’t be surprised or upset. In the end, I went with Karl. He kept the Nuggets in the playoff race while all the drama swirled around Carmelo Anthony, and he has them playing even better without ‘Melo. Since the All-Star break, Denver has had one of the best records in the NBA and has been one of the most fun teams to watch. They have the potential to give several of the teams in the West a good scare in the playoffs. All this after missing most of last year with cancer. That being said, I had a really hard time not going with Collins or Thibs. I didn’t think Collins had what it took to coach anymore, but he has a starless Philadelphia playing much better than anyone expected. If not for the Lou Williams injury, they could have played spoiler to Miami or Boston. And Thibs has remade Chicago into a defensive juggernaut and managed to get the Bulls to the best record in the NBA despite Boozer and Noah missing significant amounts of time. In the end, I went with Karl because of his success despite the aforementioned drama and cancer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns - Dwight Howard is going to win this easily for the third straight season and it isn’t entirely undeserved. He is the only player to defend on an Orlando squad that can’t play a lick of D. But, Howard is still interested in stats and highlight reel blocks more than winning defense. He doesn’t have to swat the ball into the twentieth row. He could just block it to one of his teammates and start a fast break. This play was essentially Bill Russell’s entire career. I instead chose to give my nod for this award to Grant Hill, who has been the best individual defender in the NBA this year even though that stats don’t show it. Hill is about 130 years old, but night in and night out has taken it upon himself to guard the opposing team’s best player without regards to size and age. He’s matched up against everyone from Derrick Rose to Blake Griffin and has performed admirably. And he does this on a Phoenix team that plays even less defense than the rest of Orlando. Hill has had a late career renaissance and this commitment to defense has been very impressive.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls - I touched on this the other day, but Rose is absolutely the MVP of this season. He has done everything he said he would, from improving his shooting range and committing to playing tougher defense. His advanced stats don’t make him look as impressive as LeBron or Howard, but Rose is the only guy on his team that can create his own shot. Of course LeBron would be more efficient; he plays next to two other All-Stars, making his life a lot easier. Howard is a center and if you’re his size, there is a problem if you are not efficient. Rose has been the best fourth quarter player this season and has pushed the Bulls to the best record in the NBA. He’s been a leader and kept the Bulls going, thriving even, while Boozer and Noah missed significant chunks of time. Rose has taken it upon himself time and again this season to make sure the Bulls don’t lose and constantly puts the pressure on himself to make them better every game. I don’t think you can honestly say that about LeBron or Howard. Plus, he averages 25 and 8 every night so its not like he isn’t putting up great numbers.
Stay tuned for playoff predictions in the near future.
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